


Dreya & Fenris - Romance

by Darkrogue21



Series: DA2: Dreya Hawke [1]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fiction, Romance, Sadness, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-15 07:07:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18068876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkrogue21/pseuds/Darkrogue21
Summary: After Fenris's personal quest to confront Hadriana is over, he reappears at Dreya's estate to apologise for his outburst and their argument during the incident. During their talk, it's hard for them to deny how they feel about each other. Things are said, and done, but it's not the happy ending Dreya was hoping for.





	1. Chapter 1

Dreya rubbed her eyes as she walked back to her estate, the night was quiet and still, with only a small handful of people remaining in Hightown to either finish their business or to start their evening enjoying themselves at the Hanged Man or the Blooming Rose but she didn't care about them: it had been a tiring day full of highly strung emotions and she just wanted to go home and drift off into a peaceful sleep, at least until she had to wake up to face the next morning. The dread that her thoughts pulled back about the days ahead made her stomach turn but she dismissed them with a shake of her head as she opened the door. Her feet felt heavy with every step, but the warmth of her home washed over her when she stepped inside.

She leant back against the door in the entranceway to let out a sigh, but a figure caught her attention.

Fenris was sitting on the small bench along the wall. She couldn’t deny that she was surprised, after their falling out, she didn’t expect to see him for a while. Her thoughts jumped to Bodahn, who must have let him in before her.

She approached him, hesitation in her stomach and she stopped opposite him.

“What do you want? Come to shout at me again?”

He didn’t respond, instead she noticed he looked embarrassed, or at least what little she could tell from his body language. He was always so hard to read. She rubbed her temples at his silence, the entire evening had given her the beginning of a headache. “Listen Fenris, if you’re here to pick a fight...I’m really not in the mood. Can you save it for tomorrow? I’ve had a long day…”

“Dreya...I wanted to apologise.”

He met her eyes, but quickly looked away again as he stood up to face her. His arms were crossed, keeping her at a distance. It was frosty, but she felt the sincerity, however small it was. “I was thinking about what happened before...with Hadriana. I took out my anger on you, undeservedly so. I was…not myself.”

“You were angry, I understand that.”

“But it still doesn’t excuse my outburst towards you. You were trying to help, and you didn’t have to accompany me. I don’t want to come off as under-appreciative.”

“No, I know. But considering that colourful past of yours, I wouldn’t blame you for feeling the way you do.” she smiled, part nerves and part sincere. “I wanted to try and be supportive, I saw how seeing her affected you. But...I guess I approached it in the wrong way. If I made things worse, then I am sorry for that.” He was surprised by her admission, he didn’t expect her apology or even wanted it. Somehow, seeing her smile made him feel better. “I appreciate the honesty, Fenris. Thank you.”

“I don’t think I could have rested without trying to fix it. You’re one of the only friends I have, and someone who has stood by me...Surprisingly, I don’t have many people who would do half of what you have.”

“Obviously, but I’ll admit, I prefer talking to you like this without you shouting at me.”

“I’ll try to refrain from it in the future.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. You’d be surprised at how often people take their anger out on me.” Her smile faded. “Although, you did worry me when you disappeared. I thought you’d be waiting outside for us, but there was no sign of you anywhere.”

“I...didn’t mean to worry you.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Seeing Hadriana really got to you, I’ve never seen you like that before.”

He hung on her words: she was actually worried about him? He must have heard her wrong. He was usually of no concern to others, only a ghost or a fleeting afterthought. He was suddenly aware that she had finished talking and pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, shrugging and avoiding her eyes.

“I just…needed to be alone.”

She nodded slowly.

“Sometimes I need that too.” she noticed she was looking at him for longer than she thought and quickly pulled back. “I mean…I know this hasn’t been easy, trying to adjust to us and all, but you need to understand that we’re all friends here and you won’t get far acting on your own.” his eyes snapped up to hers and she gave him a small smile. “It’s a hard habit to break, I’m probably guilty of it myself, but you can rely on us. You might not think that we care, but we do... _I_ do.”

He slowly found himself gazing at her, despite the distance between them.

“I’ll...try to remember that, Dreya.”

“I’ll admit, I’m a little flattered that you decided to come here to apologise in person.”

“I find that it’s...easier to talk to you sometimes. Most times, perhaps...” he trailed off, feeling himself grow more anxious and aware the more time he had to reflect on his words. Being in her company felt so natural, he had never experienced such a thing before and it set his nerves on edge. He turned towards the door. “Alas, I came here to deliver an apology and now I fear I’ve overstayed my welcome...” he dipped his head. “I should leave you in peace. I didn’t come here to burden you further.”

“You’re never a burden, Fenris...” she reassured as she reached out to him. His back was to her and her hand settled on his bare arm, though he felt his skin bristle. He wasn’t expecting the contact: she was one of the first people he’d met who had ever dared to attempt such a thing and, although he found a small part of himself feeling comfortable about having her soft skin on his own, his instinct kicked in.

Suddenly his skin flared blue, casting an off-colour shadow on the floor as he quickly freed his arm and slammed her against the wall. She winced as a shooting pain trailed down her back and they both stood opposite each other in tense silence, her heart was in her throat when she saw the anger in his face and a part of her berated herself for her impulse. Their eyes locked, but his expression softened when he realised he was holding her tightly and suddenly let go. Neither of them said anything, but she could see the fear and shame in his face when he looked away.

Yet she felt a longing for him to be close to her again, and before he could turn away to leave, she pushed forward and pressed her lips to his own.

He was caught off guard when he felt her pull him back into her, and she was hesitant over if he would throw her back again, until she felt him kiss her and slowly pushed her back against the wall. This time he was far more gentle, though no less passionate. He almost melted into her as their bodies closed in on one another, she tasted far sweeter than he had ever expected.

She ran her fingers over his arms and he flinched slightly at her touch, she paused each time and their eyes met.

“Sorry...” she whispered as she wiped the corner of her mouth. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

He pulled back and studied her face.

“You’re not, I’m just...not used to it.”

“I can stop, if it makes you feel better.”

“I...don’t want you to stop.” he spoke before he kissed her again. She slowly moved her hands up his chest, her cold skin bringing a feeling of relief as they passed up over his warm neck and caressed his face. This time he didn’t shy away. For the first time, he felt safe and wanted.

With every touch, he felt his heart beat faster, and in sheer seconds he found himself immersed in the heat of the moment with her. His fingers drifted down her back and pulled her in so close that he could feel the pulse of her heart against his skin. She ran her hands up his chest and settled in his hair, a small smirk creasing the corner of his mouth as she gently clenched her fingers in approval when he nibbled at her lower lip. She felt him pull her hips towards him by her belt, but she playfully stood her ground and instead used her elegant roguish footwork to step around him and reverse the role, pinning him against the stone as she pressed her body into his and faintly brushed her lips across his jaw and chin. Fenris’s thoughts buzzed with the ecstasy: there was something about her that drew him to her, something he couldn’t place, but something that was strong enough to ignite feelings he never realised were there.

Dreya gently pulled back and rested her forehead against his, giving him a telling smile that was reflected in her crystal blue eyes, asking an unsaid question he already knew the answer to as she wrapped her slender fingers around his hand and led him upstairs.

He followed her, eagerly.

He’d follow her anywhere.

 

* * * *

 

Dreya stirred slowly from her sleep, she was still curled up and warm under the covers but when she went to roll over, realised she was alone. She opened her eyes and turned back to see Fenris sitting on the edge of the bed, deep in thought and gazing at the fire. He had already dressed into a scruffy attire of a spare shirt and trousers, his armour still sitting beside the bed on the floor. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“Was it really that bad?” she teased. Her voice made him jump and he looked over, a slight blush creeping over his face.

“I’m sorry, it’s not…it was fine.” He replied sheepishly, she couldn’t help but chuckle as she leant over to pick her crumpled gown from the floor and pulled it over her shoulders.

“Well, that’s not exactly what a woman wants to hear…”

“I…I didn’t mean…” he sighed in annoyance at his own fumbling. “What I meant was…it was better than anything I could have dreamed.” Her smile radiated warmth at his words, but looking at her only made him feel worse. She noticed he sat apart from her, despite being so close to her during the night, he held her at a distance again, just like before. She crawled up out of bed and sat beside him, pulling her gown tighter over herself.

“Fenris, what’s wrong?”

“It’s...not something I can tell you easily.”

“So tell me, I’ll listen and you know I will.”

He let out a heavy, thoughtful sigh.

“I…began to remember my life before, but they were just flashes…”

“Your memories?”

“I’ve never been able to remember, but this time...It’s all too much.” she heard the nerves in his voice, the first time she had ever truly heard him panic. She smoothed a hand over his own, tracing over the pale markings along the back of his skin.

“What do you remember?”

“There were…faces…words.” He rubbed his head, trying hard to focus on anything but her eyes, those beautiful eyes which would be full of hurt with the words he was planning to say next. “Just for a moment I could recall all of it…and then it slipped away just as quickly…”

“Do you want to remember it?”

“I...I don’t know. It all happened so fast and...” it was as if he became aware of her touch, and he pulled his hand back. “It’s…too overwhelming…I’ve never remembered anything and to have it all come back in a rush, only to lose it…” he scrunched his hands and she heard him begin to choke out the final words. “I can’t…” he swallowed the hard lump in his throat and finally looked to her. “I can’t do this, Dreya…I’m so sorry.”

A tiny piece of her broke at the rejection. When she felt that he was everything she ever wanted, and now he was pushing her away.

Seeing her there, it was so hard for him not to fight his fear and embrace her, but his emotions were bouncing around his head in a mad frenzy and his cold demeanour built itself up again. He looked deep into the crackling embers of the fire.

“So last night was just...what? Did that mean nothing at all?”

“No, it was...it meant everything, but...” he sighed. “All I wanted was to be happy…just for a little while.”

“You make me happy too...” she spoke gently, struggling to keep her voice from cracking. “Please don’t throw this away.” All she wanted was to hold him, but she could sense the coldness and felt her stomach knot. She reached out for him and to her surprise, he didn’t push her away. She held his face and guided him to her, but he struggled to hold his gaze with her eyes. “I’ve had a hard enough time here trying to navigate these social circles and make something of myself from nothing, with all this responsibility, but...with you around, I don’t feel like I’m that different, or that I’m alone. When you’re with me I feel safe, and…loved.”

He rested his head against hers and went to stroke her arm, but hesitated.

“Dreya, I-”

“Please don’t do this. Don’t push me away when I’m right here. I can help you through this, if you’ll let me. Just...please...”

She trailed off in a whisper, closing her eyes and feeling small tears trail down her face. He smoothed them away, he’d never heard her cry before, but he felt his heart break when he knew it was because of him. His lips lingered dangerously close to hers, all he wanted was to kiss her and fall back into bed with her in his arms but the fear of his memories was stronger.

“This shouldn’t be your burden, it’s mine.”

“Fenris...”

“Forgive me.”

With his final words, his warmth left her side as he grabbed his things and headed for the door. She could only make out the blurred shape of his back before the bedroom door closed and she broke down. Her chest ached as she sobbed into her hands. She had finally felt happy, a far cry from her past relationships, and the thoughts crossed her mind again. The young village boy from home who confessed his love to her as a cruel prank, the stable boy with the wandering eye, the archery companion who offered her a dance then danced with someone else. She was used to having her emotions played with by others, it was why she guarded herself with her sarcasm and jokes, but she never expected an escaped elven slave to capture her heart so easily. Despite them both being defensive with their emotions, being wrapped in his arms felt right, and she would have given anything for him to hold her again.

She wiped her face and tried to calm her breathing, but ended up stifling a small cough instead as more tears ran down her face. Hearing the slam of the estate door was like a knife to her heart and she scrunched her eyes tight to try and stop the tears. She felt a small nudge on her knee and wiped her hair away to see Duke standing opposite her, whining as he looked up to her. She never even heard his claws clacking on the wood as he entered the room, but she smoothed her wet cheeks and he pushed forward to try and lick her face. She sniffed and shoved him away.

“Stop it...leave me alone…”

But he wouldn’t let it lie. He sensed her upset and whined again, pushing against her hands as she tried to be alone. At least she thought she wanted to be alone. She let her arms hang heavy and Duke sat up, his paws resting on her knees as she rested her head against his and she gently pulled him into a hug.


	2. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 3 years, Fenris is finally ready to confront the things left unsaid between Dreya and himself after his departure. Dreya finally lets her guard down and both of them speak candidly to clear the air.

Dreya sank back into the cushions of the sofa in the study and pulled her legs up, turning to the next page of her book that rested on her lap. She let out a deep, relaxed sigh: the house was peacefully quiet, save for the solemn ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room and the white noise of the rain as it hit the window. She turned her head when the wind began to whistle louder through the open window, followed with a hiss of rain and she set the book down to one side, getting up and walking over to lean against the frame. She looked out into the darkness and watched the rain from the dim light of the fire, noticing that the droplets were now falling down in a thick sheet that virtually obscured anything in the garden. She heard the low distant rumble of thunder and closed the window.

“Looks like we’re in for a storm tonight, boy.” she spoke softly to Duke, who was dozing near the fire “What fun…” she sighed as she sat back down.

No sooner had she opened her book again, when a barrage of knocks echoed throughout the house from the front door, making Duke raise his head and growl at the intrusion into his peace. Dreya threaded the ribbon down the spine of the page and closed the book, placing it on the side table as she got to her feet. She patted his head, lovingly ruffling his ears.

“Easy boy, it’s probably just one of the guys calling for something…” she cooed, before his tongue rolled out of the side of his mouth. He watched her as she retied her gown and made for the door, plopping himself back down beside the fire to doze.

She opened the door a crack and peered outside, trying hard to see through the misty veil of rain and caught sight of a familiar face, who was standing in the doorway and attempting to shelter from the weather. She opened the door fully. It was hard for her to hide her surprise.

“Fenris? What are you doing here?”

“Dreya…I need to talk to you…” he stifled a cough and the water was rolling off his shoulders. She stepped back and beckoned him inside.

“This couldn’t have waited until the morning?” she asked as she closed the door behind him and leant against it.

“If I don’t do this now, then I feel I may regret it later…” he turned to face her but avoided her eyes. “I’ve…been thinking.”

“Well, I’m sure it must have been something _very_ important to make you wander around outside in _this_ weather.” She teased as she folded her arms. But her sarcasm waned when she noticed that he was completely soaked to the bone, and shivering. “You could catch your death if you stay out there too long, you know.”

“It’s no better than I deserve.”

He ruffled his hair, flicking speckles of water onto the carpet. She sensed his downtrodden tone and sighed. Where first she was defensive over his abrupt appearance, seeing him looking so forlorn made her ease up.

“What’s this all about, Fenris? What have you been thinking about so much that you feel the need to go for a stroll in the rain at this time of night?”

He caught her eyes, and for a moment, she had forgotten just how beautifully green they were.

“You.”

“Me?” His words rattled her thoughts, but she shrugged it off. After so long, it had become easier. She shot him a smirk and motioned to herself. “Well, I appreciate your concern but...as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. No big bad scary storm to send me running under the bedcovers this time.” she walked past him and made for the doorway. “Now, let me see if I can find you a towel or something to dry yourself off…You're shivering.”

“Dreya…” he caught her arm and she turned to face him, though he pulled his hand back quickly when he realised and sighed. “I meant...about what happened between us, three years ago…”

She grew quiet, the usual sarcastic and joking demeanour shut itself away behind a wall of coldness and she folded her arms.

“That...was a long time ago.”

“And yet the guilt still hasn't left me.”

“You hid it well enough.”

“I had to, it wouldn't have done any good to either of us.”

“Because you were trying to figure things out?”

“Because I didn't want to lead you along...”

“Yet you want to drag all of this back up now? After all this time?”

“I suppose I...need my closure from this.”

“I needed my closure too, Fenris.” she snapped, though she realised just how sharp it sounded but she couldn’t hold it back. “Yet you never gave me any. Is that why you're here? You want my forgiveness?”

Her tone made him bristle, but it wasn’t in defence of himself. He had no excuse. He felt her anger, even now.

“I gave up on asking your forgiveness long ago. I don't deserve it.”

“You make it sound as if I hate you...”

“After what I did? I'd say that you had more than enough reason to hate me.”

“Then you clearly don't know me.” she dropped her arms slightly. “Listen, it took me a long time to understand why you left. It hurt, but I came to terms with it. But I didn't hate you for it, I couldn’t. When you told me what you were going through, I wanted to be there for you, but you pushed me away.” she looked at him and he saw the hurt in her eyes. “ _You_ were the one who walked away, not me. You can't just come back to this after three years and expect everything to suddenly be fine between us.”

“I never expected it to be.” he went to move closer but her body language made him hesitate and he stopped short. “I…know we never spoke about it, and I regret that we should have...that _I_ should have said something, but I couldn’t. It was hard enough having to walk away, the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and yet to see you constantly...day after day, as a regular part of my life. It was torture.” she had dropped her arms fully as he spoke, hearing him bare his soul for the first time. “I always thought it would have been better for you to think on me as a bad memory and focus on more important things, like your responsibilities as Champion, but...in the quiet moments I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about _this_...about what it meant, or could have been. I'm not going to stand here and claim that the past three years were easy, they weren’t. But I never stopped caring for you, Dreya...not after that night, and not now.”

His words settled in the air and she felt her chest hurt, the pain was masked well as she kept her voice steady, but it was difficult.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me this sooner?”

“By the time I wanted to, we had already figured out our places. We settled back into our old dynamic as friends...I thought you had left me in the past and moved on.”

“There were times when I _tried_ to move on, Maker knows that I did, but...” she sighed and shook her head. “I just...I couldn't. It was too hard to let you go.” her voice cracked on the last word. “As stupid as it was, I spent so much time wishing it was different. I thought with you it was going to be different, but you left. Again. Just like everyone else I’ve met.”

“Then tell me to go.” he replied as he drew closer to her. “Tell me to leave and I will.”

Her eyes flicked up to meet his own.

“Now you're giving me a choice?”

“Because you deserved that, at least. Just tell me to leave, and this will never be mentioned again.”

“You make it sound as if it's so easy.”

“I can assure you, it's anything but easy...but I don't want this to continue without a final answer for us both.”

“Would my answer give you the closure you want?”

“It would be enough to make me know that walking away was the right choice.”

She went to speak, but hesitated for a moment. Just feeling him close to her again was comforting and euphoric, closing themselves off as friends had hurt her deeply though she never showed it. A part of her wondered if he had even noticed the occasional glances she had given him when the group played cards or went drinking at the Hanged Man, the longing she had felt which was lost in a sea of friendly camaraderie and jokes, but then she remembered he had met her eyes once or twice himself. Even Isabela’s flirting with him had rubbed her the wrong way, yet where he was once more than likely wont to return the attention, she noticed he never did. It was as if a silent line had been drawn between them, with everything they had shared that night simply swept away and forgotten.

But she hadn’t forgotten.

And deep down, she knew he hadn’t either.

“I can't do that...” she finally spoke gently. “I don't want you to leave, Fenris, not again.”

“I wouldn't want to, not after this.”

“How can I know that for sure? I've already lost my family, I don't want to set myself up just to lose you again, I couldn't handle that.”

“You wouldn't lose me, not this time. I pushed you away because I thought I was being kind, thinking it was better if you didn’t get close...I realise now that I was simply a coward, running away because I was too afraid to face my demons. I should never have left in the first place.”

“Yet you're standing here now.”

“I came back because of you, Dreya. After three years, you were all I ever wanted, all I still want...” He was still cold but the heat he felt from her chased the chill away, though he dripped the odd droplet of water onto her clothes.

 

“Nothing could be worse than the thought of living without you...”

 

His words resonated deep within her very core, the confession she had been longing to hear from him for too long. Longer than she wanted to admit. She would have fallen into his arms then and there, if not for her own crippling hesitation. He had hurt her and it was still hard for her to let it go after so long.

She slowly closed into him and moved a stuck strand of hair from his face, her fingers brushing softly against his cheek. He had missed the way she was so delicate, she knew he wasn’t made of glass, but the way she traced his skin gave him a feeling of comfort he could never find anywhere else. Even when she caressed his markings, a deeply ingrained symbol of his own self-hatred and pain, feeling her trace them so lovingly made him forget about it all.

“You're still soaking wet.”

The intimate moment they had shared slowly faded at her joke and he wiped the droplet running down his face. She saw the frustration.

“Dreya, I-”

She interrupted him when she took his hand and led him into the main room.

“Just...shut up and get inside. We've spent so much time out here that I'm surprised you're not frozen on the spot.”

 

He stood opposite the fire as she came back with a towel, fresh and warm. They fell into a tense silence, but he kept his eyes on her. She felt almost as if he was sizing her up as she stepped in close to wrap the towel around his shoulders. As she smoothed his hair and wiped his chin, she heard him sigh.

“Dreya...You're really not going to say anything?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Anything that tells me you still care for me.”

His blunt response made her freeze and she slowly started drying him again.

“Did you ever think, in all that time, I ever stopped caring about you?” her tone wasn’t teasing, but sincere. “We gave each other space because it was what you wanted, but that didn’t mean I ever stopped caring. After everything we’ve been through, I was glad to keep you in my life, even if it was just as a good friend...but there was still a part of me that pined for you for three years, hoping something would change and bring you back to me, because I couldn’t stand you pushing me away after I saw who you really were. For that night and for the first time I had ever seen, you dropped everything to be with me, and it was so...different. It was so raw and vulnerable that it completely changed the way I saw you.” she drifted closer as she spoke and their faces were inches from one another, her gaze flicking across to his lips and markings, to his eyes. “It made me realise how I felt about you, and that never changed during all that time. It didn’t matter how much distance we tried to put between us, I knew that I couldn’t be with anyone else...” she smiled softly. “You’ve always had my heart, Fenris.”

For the first time in a long time, she saw him smile. Seeing his eyes gaze into hers, full of adoration and longing, made her heart jump and her legs almost buckle.

“And you have mine.” he found himself caressing her face and trailing a thumb across her lips. “I am yours...” he murmured before he kissed her deeply.

She almost lost herself in him, but pulled back and giggled at the affection. Despite her best efforts, he was still wet and droplets spilled onto her face and neck, but she was so caught up in the moment that she didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around her and she rested her forehead against his, she could still taste him on her lips.

“Listen, I know it’s been a long time, but...I don’t want you to rush into anything. If you want to take things at your own pace, I’ll understand.”

“Thank you.”

His growl made her flutter and she jumped into kissing him again. She’d missed his voice, it always sounded different when he was with her and could let his guard down.

“I’ve missed you.” she muttered between her kisses. He held her tighter, his fingers grazing her lower back.

“I’ve missed you too...”

This time, he took the lead.

He interlocked his fingers with hers and pulled her with him up the stairs. Though she teased him by dragging her feet on the landing and slowing down to make him stop, it only made him smirk and want her more, turning back and jerking her towards him for more kisses.

He pushed her over the threshold of the bedroom and walked her backwards, turning to close the door behind them before she pushed him against it to force it shut. He almost dragged her to the floor, a lustful glint in his eye, though he didn’t care much for where they ended up as long as he was with her. She stumbled as he tried to knock her off balance and laughed, pulling him to his feet by the collar of his shirt and into a kiss, until she let herself fall backwards onto the bed and took him with her.

Three years and it still felt as familiar as it always did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the final scene and what I like to think happened between these two. I personally feel it flows far better than the first part. Ugh, I love writing these two so much.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Also, I know I said there was a sex scene here. I lied, didn't include it as I'm 50/50 on it because the scene flows so well without it :P

**Author's Note:**

> This is more my interpretation of the conversation after the quest, and ensuing romance :P
> 
> It's not a very creative title, and I apologise for that but everything I was thinking off was too cheesy! Also, I'm unsure of whether or not to include the sex scene in this one as it was somewhat incomplete and a full one is also in their Reconciliation scene, so I don't know if I should bombard people with the smut. If this gets any interest, I might edit it.


End file.
